| CD Review - PlaguesFire - The Burnt Church Chronicles |
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| CD EP |
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| Review by Steve |
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PlaguesFire will be known to many as the local (anti-)heroes treading a historic and well-worn path of symphonic black metal. They clearly have as many detractors as they do supporters, and yet, for every band-wagon jumping hater, they continue to win people over with their agreeable approach to the genre, along with sheer determination and graft. I've always appreciated their live shows, and their personalities; they're nice guys beneath the demonic outer shells. It's with some amount of anticipation that I now have the task of appraising the debut CD from the band.
A lot of hard work has gone in to honing their tracks live before committing them to ones and zeros. However, I'd like to start my critique by mentioning the packaging. Mark Leary of Asylum SeventySeven has produced a stunning piece of art for this CD; showing wondrous and, on further examination, horrific detail from the track 'The Horsedrawn Miscarriage' as the centre-fold's theme. My version was also replete with an etching of the band's logo on the front of the jewel case, which I believe is a limited edition. My only gripe is that the main artwork deserves a slightly better print quality than what is currently provided. It's a small concern.
The CD itself kicks off with 'Darkstar' (apparently a burning error mixed up the order on the initial batch of discs - for all you collectors out there), it's clear that, while the band clearly worship at the alter of the likes of Dimmu Borgir, there is a reverence for the raw quality of the formative years of the sub-genre (Emperor, for example). However, there is a distinct English quality (moving any obvious Cradle of Filth comparisons to the side for now) that conjures images of medieval battles. Not only that, there is also a healthy dose of that other very English trait; the sense of humour. I'm not talking parody or slapstick, but titles such as the aforementioned 'The Horsedrawn Miscarriage' (which I'm promised is the first part of an expanded story) betrays the ultra-seriousness of the genre's staid Norwegian heavyweights.
It's refreshing to see it's not only the likes of the undisputed kings of linguistic-twistery (step forward Martin Walkyier and Dani Filth) that can play with words so effectively. Whereas it is my own opinion that the music could have done with the sparkle of a decent bit of mastering, it's to be commended that the band eschewed this to retain the raw spirit of the past. I have to question the mix in places though; there's little harmony in sound levels over the course of these five tracks, with guitars almost disappearing in some songs, which I'm sure wasn't the intention of the band. This slight criticism aside, I can confidently recommend this CD to fans of raw, honest, extreme metal. It may be the formative steps for this band, and I'm sure their next release will be a major step forward, but this is a rewarding present-day snapshot of a band with a distinctly rosy future. |
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This page was last updated Monday, 11 January 2010
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